When the Edmonton Oilers selected Nail Yakupov with the first overall pick at the 2012 NHL Draft, it was their third straight first overall pick and looked like the final piece to their puzzle up front.
The team had already assembled a great young core centred around their previous two first overall picks in Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Adding Yakupov to the mix was supposed to bring their offence to the next level.
In addition to the selections of Hall and Nugent-Hopkins, the club had plenty of other young pieces to surround their core with. Players like; Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi, and Oscar Klefbom were all drafted in the first round since 2008. The club also added Justin Schultz as an NCAA free agent, adding even more depth to their young core.
However, things did not particularly work out the way many had hoped or expected. After a promising start to his young career, he quickly fizzled out and is now playing in his home country of Russia in the KHL.
How Yakupov's career played out
Sometimes when prospects or players do not work out or 'bust', there are plenty of warning signs or at the very least indications of their potential future failure. I would argue that with Yakupov, this was nowhere near the case.
The hype for Yakupov took off in the year before his draft year (DY-1), he scored at an incredible pace scoring 49 goals, 52 assists for 101 points in 65 games with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League. He also dominated at the Men's World U-18's for Russia, ranking third in team and tournament scoring with six goals and seven assists for 13 points in seven games.
Although his draft year was not as spectacular, in large part due to Yakupov sustaining a knee injury following the 2012 World Juniors, he was still incredibly productive. Over 42 games played, Yakupov potted 31 goals and 38 assists for 69 points or a 1.64 point-per-game average. This is similar production to other high end players in their draft year such as Alex DeBrincat, Andrei Svechnikov, Sam Bennett, and others.
After being selected first overall, the NHL underwent yet another lockout season in 2012-13. Luckily, it was only a partial lost season but the labour dispute still forced Yakupov to play elsewhere for the first-half of his would be rookie NHL year. He opted to return to Russia and played in the KHL, he amassed 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 22 games, a scoring pace that still ranks fifth amongst U20 players in the KHL, ranking right between both Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ivan Demidov's age 19 seasons.
When the NHL resumed action, Yakupov made the Oilers roster and continued to look like a budding star. In 48 games with the Oilers, he scored 31 points (17 goals and 14 assists) tying for first in rookie scoring but ranking fifth in Calder trophy voting. He matched the production of the Calder trophy
winner in Florida Panthers rookie, Jonathan Huberdeau.
Although Yakupov would best these numbers in 2014-15, setting a career high of 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) but in 81 games. His rookie year would be by far his best in terms of scoring pace throughout Yakupov's six season NHL career. Since his final stint with the Colorado Avalanche in 2017-18, Yakupov has been playing back in his home country in the KHL. He currently plays for Avangard Omsk, where he helped them win a Gargarin Cup championship in 2021.
Yakupov had high hopes
Like I said before, Yakupov becoming a bust was a genuine shock. Although he did not have the hype of a Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, or Connor Bedard, Yakupov was expected to be an elite scoring winger.
The TSN Draft broadcast had him pegged as an elite offensive player with an NHL comparable of now hall of fame talent, Alexander Mogilny.
Looking at his production, it is not hard to project a player who would become a high impact forward. His OHL draft year production alone placed him near players who are impactful top-six forwards in the NHL. His rookie KHL production is sandwiched between two stars and his NHL rookie production was nearly identical to Huberdeau.
Even looking at all U-19 scorers since 2010, Yakupov's rookie numbers are similar on a PPG basis to; Hall, Huberdeau, John Tavares, and Gabriel Landeskog. He even outscored stars like; Sebastian Aho, Matthew Tkachuk, and Nathan MacKinnon in their respective rookie campaigns.
Yakupov not panning out is something that many people are rightly embarrassed about. Although some will point fingers at the team. As Yakupov himself has said, the club did not properly insulate him and the instability hurt his development. Some will also point fingers at Yakupov and bash his character, it is likely that there is blame on both sides.
Add us as a preferred source on Google